Trippy

August 31, 2007

Dear Kay,
Still sailing along on the Tweedy Squares blanket. I’ll be brief, despite the fact that this blanket-bordering project is one of the more epic efforts I’ve made, right up there with fixing breakfast this morning despite a profound lack of breakfast makins. I do have one observation to make: when dealing with the eight-year-old diner, if bacon is part of the menu, then bacon can be the entire menu.
Let’s go to the videotape.
Each side is 56 inches long, making a total of 224 inches of border, a little over 18 feet. I’m well into Side Three of this thing, and as long as the Patrick O’Brian novels hold out, I’ll be fine. But I do find that long stretches of garter stitch send me into a sort of hallucinating, free-associating frame of mind. I’m really glad you can’t see inside my brain, because it’s pretty much like that scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory where they take that trippy ride down the chocolate river.
(The corner will be sewn together when all is said and done.)
You may not be able to tell, and you may not care but I do (desperately), but each side uses a different shade of green tweed yarn: Rowan Scottish Tweed, Harrisville New England Highland, Rowan Yorkshire Tweed. We’ll see what happens on Side Four, because I’m starting to scrape the bottom of the greeny-green barrel.
Same with the oranges: different on each side. I am developing a real love of the Rowan Scottish Tweed orange, which goes fuschia sometimes when it’s next to a burnt orange.
Some of my free-associating has to do with color theory. The taupe squares turned purple at one point last night, and the border (thanks to whoever’s comment that this blanket reminds them of 1969) got me thinking about harvest gold kitchen appliances. And my mom’s avocado green cookware. And . . . whoooooops . . . . . . . . aaaaaaaahhhhhh . . . . . . . . . . .
Love,
Ann

That is not a Wonka blanket… much to earthy for that more like…. woodland scenes. Very serene. I love how you have done the border and am especially interested in those corners… Is that a pleat?

Ann
August 31, 2007 at 1:09 pm

Great choices, I love the multi-oranges and greens. You are a genius, and yes, bacon can be the whole breakfast, in a pinch.

Annhb
August 31, 2007 at 1:09 pm

Have you considered that it may not be the garter stitch causing the hallucinatory state? Could it be the tweed that’s making you high? I’ve got a whole mitten in a blue green rowanspun if you need it for side 4.

There’s no earthly way of knowing which direction we are going, there’s no knowing where we’re rowing…
The blanket looks terrific! And don’t let my kids find out you’re serving All-Bacon Breakfasts, or they’ll be on your doorstep as soon as they figure out how to get to Nashville.

This border looks so perfect with this blanket that I am beginning to suspect that this design was your intent all along and asking for our opinions was just your way of making us feel wanted.
It looks great!

My eight year old boy loves bacon too! He loves just about any meat. I call him my little carnivore. Must be a need for protein so that he can grow an inch every night. Also, I love the green border. Just the right amount of orange.

Patricia
August 31, 2007 at 2:05 pm

I really like it, and I’m not especially fond of orange and green. The border makes the rest of it pop out.

I am liking it! I ‘voted’ for this border, and I’m so happy to see it looking just like I envisioned! If the green barrel is being scraped, maybe side 4 could be ‘melange’ — alternating one or two rows or ridges of all the other greens that you have bits and pieces of — it’ll scan like a slightly different green overall instead of stripes. Especially if you use three colors, one row at a time: I’m sure you know, but for those who may not, knit color A one row, drop it and add in B for a row, drop it and knit with C for a row, then color A is waiting for you there on the end of that row, and repeat ad infinitum. Blends the colors nicely.

The taupe squares turned purple at one point last night, and the border (thanks to whoever’s comment that this blanket reminds them of 1969) got me thinking about harvest gold kitchen appliances. And my mom’s avocado green cookware. And . . . whoooooops . . . . . . . . aaaaaaaahhhhhh . . . . . . . . . . .
Sorry, that would be me — and like Holly, meant it in the nicest possible sense. I guess I was just trippin’ out on your blanket. Actually, it evokes my childhood best friend’s home, which was built about 1968, and did feature rather a lot of avocado — and happy memories.

I think it looks just beautiful! If it were all matchy-matchy, you may be hallucinating in a very bad way by now!

Barb C.
August 31, 2007 at 3:08 pm

Ahhhh, yes… bringing back wonderful memories of my mom’s avacado green kitchen appliances, along with the burnt orange kitchen curtains and varigated orange shag rug in the adjoining family room… mmmmmmmm…
But I digress.
Your blanket reminds me nothing of that.
Your blanket is absolutely lovely. While some of the colors harken back to those good ol’ days, the earthiness keeps it current, the neutrals keep it soft and elegant, and the orange makes it all “pop”. Kind of a “Moderne-Vintage-Earthy-Elegant” feeling to it….
Simply beautiful.

whosadele
August 31, 2007 at 3:28 pm

It sounds like you have reached the “knitter’s high”.

Barb in Texas
August 31, 2007 at 3:31 pm

Been offline a few days (thank you, E****L**k,) but YES! That double border looks great.

I had my doubts about the green and orange, but now I’m a believer (just like the Monkees)! The close-up shot shows the different texture in the garter stitch, and in the miter, too. It is peerless blanket.

Vicki
August 31, 2007 at 3:37 pm

It is beautiful, and orange and green are not my colors at all. My son’s favorite color is orange and yours i could maybe make a blanket from. Mitered squares, so addicting. But then that’s why we knit isn’t it.

Kathleen
August 31, 2007 at 3:42 pm

Ann, the blanket is turning out beautiful. The border you decided on is perfect. It does have that retro look – Avacado (mom’s kitchen)and harvest gold (my kitchen) were the colors of the day. (I still have my H. gold blender!) I’m anxious to hear the finishing hour count. What’s next on the needles for you?

Angie
August 31, 2007 at 3:51 pm

Perfect border, just exactly right. I am envious of the miters, oh so couture.

I just finished knitting a garter stitch border round my Lizard ridge afghan when I saw your borders. Now I know that my border sucks big time. Yours is just perfect – the orange frames the squares, and the green gives it a background where the whole design ‘floats’ on. Sorry for my limited English – I love it. (and feel miserable about my afghan). I used Rowan DK tweed in charcoal, because I wanted a ‘manly’ border. Now it’s just depressing, it needs some ‘zing’!

Stephanie B.
August 31, 2007 at 4:21 pm

I love how the colours change depending upon what they are next to. Hours of fun will be had with that when sitting under this blankie.

Trish
August 31, 2007 at 4:28 pm

Yep, there’s definitely some appliance colors going on in there… You know what? Those appliances got a bad rap! Way to vindicate retro kitchenware!!

I just LOVE that blanket! And as for bacon, well that rule applies when the diner is 6, 8, or 48…

charli
August 31, 2007 at 9:24 pm

I absolutely love it!
BTW, you mentioned color theory. I really would like tto learn about it — I know nothing. I was never even taught about primary colors, something most 4 year olds seem to know. Do you have any suggestions on how I might learn? Like a book maybe? Maybe one that has exercises in it because otherwise I find my eeyes glaze over and my brain has absolutely no comprehension (which is what happened to me with the knitty article I vaguely recall trying to read a long time ago.)
thanks!
charlizeen on yahooooooooooooo
(of course advice from anyone and everyone is welcome)

I think you made the absolutely perfect choice for the border. I love the skinny orange stripe and the wide green border. This is the most beautiful blanket. I’m in awe.

Carla
September 1, 2007 at 9:19 am

WHO said your borders must be wide orange? WHO? — This is a frame within a frame and perfectly gorgeous!

Mary
September 1, 2007 at 12:57 pm

The blanket looks lovely! I think the green and orange border is an excellent choice.

Jo-Anne
September 1, 2007 at 1:50 pm

The differences in the orange tweeds and the green tweeds only add to the utter charm of the afghan. It is magnificent.

Meg McG
September 1, 2007 at 6:21 pm

Ugh gross it totally sucks! How could you chose those colors!
Just kidding, thought I’d offer the dissenting opinion to show illustrate how silly it would be to argue with such a nice choice. Well done, you may give Kay a run for her money on the afghan front!

i don’t know if anyone has mentioned it yet, but there’s a book called mindful knitting, where you intentionally concentrate on each stitch, to get to a meditative state. in fact, my therapist recommended it as a relaxation technique. and you didn’t have to pay $125/hour to learn that!

Debi
September 2, 2007 at 8:11 am

Wonderfull blanket!!!!!!!!!!!!!! debi

Beverly
September 2, 2007 at 12:00 pm

How do I sign up for the raffle on the gorgeous, beautitious, fabuloso tweed-lover’s blankets of all blankets…you are giving it away, right?

Suzanne
September 2, 2007 at 2:20 pm

Love how the blanket is coming along!
In my experience the bacon rule applies to the 11 year old diner as well (and sometime to the 21-year-old…) in case you are wondering…

Regardless of the color choices or the size of the border, this is destine to be the blanket of choice come winter evenings. It will smell of buttered popcorn, and have the most wonderful of memories all wrapped up in its tweedy self. The kids will fight over it, and you will beam with pride and never really remember the insanity of its making…..I am having blanket envy.

Pam
September 4, 2007 at 8:01 am

Well, of course it’s perfect! Just like I suggested! Okay, not at all like I suggested, but seeing it all together, well, it’s just right and I can’t imagine it any other way. You go girl!
(Bacon breakfast? Does it get any better?)